The Power of Augmented Reality: Six ways it’s changing the Business World

It is an unbelievably useful tool in a day-to-day routine. For example, putting new furniture in your house and see whether it fits your interior. Check your bearings without even using a map. It opens new windows of opportunity and help to do our daily pursuits in a very different way. They have never been so interesting.      AR Technology is a brand that has been in the industry for some time. Starting in 2009, AR Technology steps forward in the sphere of IT media occasionally, or to make room for something else. However, the interest of journalists and web-developers for Augmented Reality (AR) always returns, which clearly shows the importance of the technology.Analysts’ expect that the AR market will grow up to $150Bby 2020. AR income will be four times bigger than virtual reality (VR), let alone be a part of society`s everyday life.

Leading experts in the area of technology from all over the world discuss AR in various forums, which leads the path for the world`s biggest brands to launch their best-augmented reality apps.

Smartphone applications win a market turning from products designed for a wow-effect taking a comparatively short time into useful and handy devices for daily use. Thus, for instance, an individual is able to translate signs in other languages with the help of AR app. Geolocation services are rapidly growing, which put AR layers on the image out of a camera, which allows finding what one needs: anything from a pharmacy to a gastronome to a theatre.

Auto groups are familiar with AR applications, which are used for auto demo and car advancement. As AR is becoming predominant in the industry, they launch advanced products. Thus, Land Rover make their machine hoods «transparent», and in doing so, driving is safer and more comfortable.
At the same time, not everything is that simple. Despite relevant decisions in the most different spheres of business, AR use is not yet wholesale. This is primarily due to the needed  technology

connectivity is not yet widespread and even the biggest and the loudest beginning out of AR is not always in a groove. Why is that?

Most likely, it is because the audience’s expectations are high. In the end-user’s opinion, the future should be today. In addition, there are objective technological limits, which do not allow to unlock the potential of AR as of yet.

The surface tracking does not work as good as one would have liked, there is an imperfectness of machine vision, if to speak about moving objects and keeping track of them. Tablets and smartphones are inadequate to «digitize» what is going on. Nevertheless, all the problems mentioned is possible to overcome, which is why we are going to witness how augmented reality will be taking over many aspects of our daily lives, stepwise, within the next 5-10 years. Experts say that all the companies whose activities connected with high technologies are to be ready for expansion by augmented reality. Now, there are more augmented reality projects in entertainment area especially in online/computerized games, as long as it allows dragging users into gaming.

Nevertheless, the demand of the technology grows behind the game industry.

AR is used in the public health sector more often for training employers, especially surgeons, who learn to apply technologies in a safe environment. An advantage of using virtual technologies is that doctors and surgeons gain experience in live situations and constantly get feedback before working with real patients.

If augmented reality is utilized in the business world, imagine the endless possibilities that the end-user customer will have.

• Improvement in the effectiveness of employers training: the engagement of trainees into a training process will increase, the expenses for materials will be kept down, there will be an opportunity to visualize the process of training but at the same time it all is going to be safe as long as it is going to be happening in augmented reality
• Raising of working process efficiency: conducting of meetings does not require in-person attendance
• An opportunity of the departments being transferred to a remote mode: for example, a labor office can be located in another city; however, employers will be able to do job interviews and training
• Enhancing the efficiency of e-commerce: this especially relates to goods requiring trying on, fitting, testing in general; 63% of users are sure of such an opportunity that will benefit online buying
• Quality improvement of goods on the stage of development: VR/AR technologies allow to look at a ready result and its operational characteristics back on the stage of modelling; as a result, it will cut costs in industries and decrease a total price for goods
• Increasing of user loyalty: all the features AR provides with will make it to where an activity of customers will grow so will sales outcomes of interest.

AR makes it to where one takes a fresh look at showrooms and product display: it changes interaction with customers entirely. AR will enable a customer to get a full image of how a product look and its functional before buying, s/he will have more clear expectations, a big confidence in decision — and satisfaction with a purchase. In the future, AR can even decrease the need for physical stores and showrooms.

AR can become an especially valuable marketing tool for products with multiple options, far from all of which are available for display. AZEK manufacturing company of home decoration materials uses AR for display of different colors and product configuration. For example, hovering a device onto a house, the AR app will show what the house will be looking like with this or that cladding. It makes a customer more confident about the choice and shortens the cycle of a purchase.

AR applications will also allow online shops customers to upload holograms of production. Wayfair and IKEA suggest thousands of 3D images of products. Applications let them be combined in a ready room at home. IKEA also uses the application for collection of data about product preferences region-wide.

Therefore, now you can see how AR benefits your business. If you are involved in real estate, retail, medicine, e-commerce, media, advertising and promo-actions, the road is clear for you. Thus, augmented reality industry is already primarily generated and there is a motivation for a profession of future predicted in futurological forecasts. It is an augmented reality architect. It is expected that this profession will be finally established and wide-spread in 2020.